Rubio opens GOP soul searching

11/7/12 1:55 AM EST

In the wake of Mitt Romney's defeat, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio implored Republicans to broaden their tent and improve their outreach to minority groups.

"In the next Congress, I am committed to working on upward mobility policies that will ensure people who work hard and play by the rules can rise above the circumstances of their birth and leave their children better off," Rubio said in a statement. "The conservative movement should have particular appeal to people in minority and immigrant communities who are trying to make it, and Republicans need to work harder than ever to communicate our beliefs to them."

Rubio's statement marks the beginning of a Republican soul-searching period where the GOP will begin to chart out how better to court rapidly-growing minority groups, most notably Latinos. In this Congress, Rubio floated the possibility of a deal on the so-called DREAM Act to help undocumented children, but he dropped the effort earlier this year.